Stringed-instrument player



Nov. 13, 1928.

J. B. WOLFE STRINGED INSTRUMENT PLAYER Filed rm. 27, 192 5 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 II I I INVENTOR JeZ,B.77a 6 Nov. 13, 1928.

J. B. WOLFE STRINGED INSTRUMENT PLAYER 4 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR fieZE 7% BY d MTORNEY Filed Nov. 27, 1925 Nov. 13, 1928.

J. B. WOLFE STRINGED INSTRUMENT PLAYER ATTORNEY INVENTOR Jaeaza 7rz:

4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 27, 1925 7 Patented 'N'ov. 13, 192s.

TED TATE son, 13. WOLFE, or" fiwimiinirii, wksiiinewoit.

mmmmmenm PLAYER.

v pulsation filed member 27, 1925. Serial no. 71,768.

This invention relates to; improvements in ,devlbs for playing stringed instruments with" the feet there y leaving the hands free to manipulate and permit the performer to operate other instruments inaddition to the one being played with thefeet. I i It is more particularlyfthe object of this invention to provide a device whereby any form of stringed instrument having a soundmg box from which a neck proiectsand along which the stringsextend,niay he l'ayed, this type of instrument being player by stoppin the strings ,along the neck and pick ing or plucking the strings abreast of the sounding box, atypical instrument of this typebbein'g' abanjo. 1 It is an ob'ect of thi sinvention to provide a device as above outlined Whereoyinstrumerits of this type can be anchored to the device and played without special provision; be-

ing ima dd and whereby various sized instru- Y mentsmay be interchangeably fitted to the ev a 1 The device of myinvention includes a self stable frame provided with means for,.secur ing an instrument therein and which is pro vided with pedal, operated pressing or stop ping mechanisinfor pressing or stopping the strings along the neck of the instrument, and, in the most improved form, of the invention, this mechanism is slidably disposed in a mannor to readily operateu'pon diflerentlongi tudina'lly disposed portions of the neck, Myinvention also, includes novel picker mechanism whichfisfp'edal operated and in which the pickers are actuated to closely simu-' I late the action of the human hand in picking thestrings, tothe extent that the pickers first engage, then tensiomandfinally quickly re to lease the string forsoun(ling vibration.

It feature of my invention to p1'o vi(le a novel form 'ofdamfper adapted to be actu-, M d; by i kne h pl ye a l a tina upon the parchment preferably in the rear of the hridge, with respectto the neck end of 7 It is-a; further-feature to arrange the stop actuating pedals ina manner to reduce'the numberof pedals necessary for-actuation by the front of the foot, the heel being utilized fona ctuatingone ofthe pedals. 7

Other featuresandobjects of the invention willbe more fully described in connection with the accompanyingdrawings and will be more particularly pointed out in and hythe appended claims. 7

In the drawings i a H Fig. 1, a, view in side elevation of one forinof the device of my inventionshowing a banjo mounted in position and looking from the players side of thedevice. ,Fig. 2, is asectional view on line 22 of Fig. 1, looking from the right of the latter. v .Fig. 3, is a plan sectional View on line 33 o'fFig. 1. t, I Fig. 4,,is an enlarged sectional view on line 44 of F iig. 2, looking towa'rdthe right of said figure and showing 'the'position of the strings and frets with respect to the string stops ,7 I i Fig. 5, is an enlarged fragmentary view looking from theright of Fig. 2, toward the string picking mechanism; and viewing the parchment side ofthe banjo. e Fig; 6,;is'a sectional-view 011:, line (i tiof Fig. 7, looking toward the left, of the lat: ter, and showing the initialor. normal positionof all the pickers with respect to the strings, J c j, 7, is'a sectional iew, on. line- 7 7 of, Fig. 6, looking toward the right, of the latter and showing only the .fii'ShPlQkBL-meafiS.

Fig. 8, is a View silnilarfto; Fig. 7 showing picker partly depressed and placing I Like haractei-j of i'efereilcde f i gnate sin1- ijlarparts throughout the different figures of I the, drawings. i

As shown, the frame consistsof transversely disposed feet 1 and 20p whichia'reirigidly mountedcombined longitudinally disposed guide and frame members 3 and 4. Upright frame members 5 and 6, secured to the feet 1 and 2, and to guide members 3 and 4, serve as a support for an instrument and also picking and stopping means operating on the instrument. In addition, said upright members 5 and 6 support and are suitably secured to sets of upper and lower guide members 7 and 8 and 9 and 10, respectively. The members 7 and 9, are connected by a brace 11, and by a brace 12, so that the instrument can be inserted into position endwise between the members 7 to 10, as shown. In the case of a banjo, as shown, the upright 6 is equipped with abutment blocks 13 and 14, against which the cylindrical sounding body 15, of the banjo abuts. The neck 16, of the instrument extends toward the upright 5, and the head terminal of the I1GCl-I, as shown at 17, fits a recessed block 18, mounted on upright 5. A presser foot 18, engages the back of the neck 16, at 19, and is actuated by athreaded rod 20, having a cranked end 21, and having threaded connection with brace 11. By means of this presser foot, the rim of the banjo is forced into tight engagement with abutment blocks 13 and 14, laterally of the frame. I provide means for snugly holding the in strument in snug engagement with the shouldered portions of abutments 13 and 14 and forcing the head end 17 firmly into block 18, which means I will next describe.

A bloclr22, on brace 11, which is-really a fulcrum block, is suitably recessed to receive a short thrust bar 23, or rather, one end there of. he other end extends into and against the inside face of the sound box 15. Between the ends of this bar is a bolt 25, secured to brace 11, and on which is a nut 26, which, when turned home, tightly impinges the entire instrument against its heretofore described abutments and firmly holds the instrument in a fixed posit-ion;

It will be clear thatitwould be a mere matter of mechanical skill to vary the position and proportions of the aforenamed anchorage means to accommodate stringed instruments of a slightly different form and size from the banjo shown.

The head 26 is shown provided with string tightening devices generally indicated at 27, strings 28, 2. 30 and 31, connected with a. usual tail piece 32 and extending over a bridge 33. interposed between the tightened strings and the parchment 34, along the front of the neck 16 to the tightening devices 27. The face of the neck 16, may or may not have frets 35, as diagrammatically indicated in Fig. 4.

I will next describe my improved pedal operated mechanism for stopping the strings 28 to 31, at various points along the face of the neck 16. and in different combinations to obtain diiferent chords.

My improved pedal operated stopping mechanism is in the form of a unitary frame structure which slidably coacts with guides 3 and 4, on which the structure is supported, and which also coacts with guides 7 to 10. The lower portion of said mechanism consistsof'trausvcrse members 36 and 37 which. as seen in Fig. 2, span and ride upon guides 3 and 4. These transverse members 36 and 37 are connected with longitudinal members, one of which is shown at. 38, to form a rigid base. The members 06 and 37 are provided with guide feet, 39, secured at 40, to member 36, only one set of guide feet being shown. These guide feet suitably coact with guides 3 and 4, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, to hold the.

base. of said mechanism in secure sliding connection withguides 3 and 4. In Fig. 3, I have shown a longitudinal strip 41, which is adapted to have sliding engagement with guide 4, and which is secured to members 36 and 37. A like strip 42, likewise secured to members 36 and 3?, slidably engages guide 3, and forms a hinge mounting bar, as will be presently described. 1

I will hereinafter refer to the foregoing as the sliding base frame of the stopping mechanism. I

Stop pedals 43, 44 and, 45, are secured to said base frame by hinges 46, 47 and 48, which are connected with'st ip 42, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. To these pedals are anchored, in any suitable way, the lower ends of operating cables 49, 50 and 51. I These pedals are provided with too treads 52, 53 and 54, upon which the front portions of the shoe of'tlie operator are adapted to be imposed. A feature of novelty of these treads, apart from the same as such. consists in mal-zing'the tread 53, of the middle pedal 44, sufliciently-lower than the treads of the outsidepedals in order that the foot of the operator may beshifted from one tread to the'other without accidentally depressing the wrong pedal. In case all the treads were of the same height, the margin on the sole of the shoe might cause one outside pedal to b depressed when it was desired only'to depress the middle pedal of the bank. This will beclear when it is considered that these pedals are spaced as closely toward each other as possible to thereby limit, as far as may be, the extent to which the foot must be shifted from one pedal to the other. This bank of stop actuat ing pedals also includes a heel pedal 55 which is connected with the lower end of a stop actuating cable 56, at one end of pedal 55. the remaining end being hingedly' connected at 57, with strip 36. This pedal .55, is provided with heel blocks 58 (Fig. 3), between which the heel of the shoe of the player is disposed and at all'times engaged so that irrespective of the depression of any one of pedals 43 to 45, the pedal 55, can be depressed or released. Thus the left foot of the player may be shifted about A, as a center, into engagement with the treads of either of the other pedals, as indicated dotted lines said upright frame consists of uprights 59,

, 61 and 62. This upright frame supports the stopping 'niechanisin, proper, adjacent the neck of the instruinent and in sliding relation to guides 7 to 10. Viewin Fig. 1, thegujides 7 to 10 are secured at their left hand ends to upright 5 and are held in proper spaced relation thereby as will alsobe clear by refer- .ence to Fig. At their right hand ends, said guides 8'und10, are suitably secured to uprightewhile guide 9,,is supported by brace 63, having its lower end 64, secured to upright 6, and its upper end 65', secured to guide 9. A brace 12, heretofore described, connects guides '7 and 9, so that the instrument can be freelyinserted between the guides 7 to 10' from the right hand ends thereof, viewing Theactual stopping mechanism, is carried by a stopping frame which will next be described. I I 1 This frame includes bars 66, 67, 68 and 69 which are disposed abreast ofguides 7 to 10, as clearly shown in'Fig. 2. "The bars 66 to 69 are secured in the disposition shown, by metal strips-7 0 ;71, 172, and 73, which are vertically disposed and which have terminal ends slidably iengaging the lateral faces of bars 66 to 69. Strips 74 to 77, are horizontal- 1y disposed andare suitably secured to bars 66 to 69 and engage the lower facesof-bars 7 and 8, and the upper faces of bars 9 and 10. In practicethe arrangement is such that friction due to slidingen'gagement of theseparts is reduced to a minimum, the inajor friction H being upon'thegu'ides' 3 and 4, whichare the supporting guides, near which foot thrust is imposed to "shift the stopping mechanism to Various positions relative to the'strlngs, as

I will hereinafter be described.

I will next refer to that'portion of the stopping mechanism which actually engages the strings, and to the means and mannerin which the same is actuated. r

f Stopper rods 78 and79 are longitudinally slidable in bars 67 and 68 and are polygonal so, as to, be non-rotatively mounted whereby the stops carried thereby will be held in a predetermined position with respect 'tothe strings. Rod 79, has an arm 80 on which a stop 81 is mounted, thestring engaging por tion82, being "of a suitably soft material.

9 This stopis an elongated stop which is'proportioned to engage all of thestrings 28 to 31, when actuated. A coiled or like spring 83, normally acts to withdraw stop 81. away from engagement with the strings. Operating cable 56, having its lower end connected withheel pedal: 55, is trained over pulley 85, loose on spindle 86, and over pulley 87, loose on spindle sari-om which it extends toward adapted to engage string 28. Rod 68 is slidably and non-rotatively- 'ni'ounted in bars 67 and 68 and is normally retracted away from string 28 bysprihg Cable 51 is trained about} pulleys 9.1, 92 and 93, loose on spindles 91, 86 and-88 and is connected with rod 78, to draw stop 90 against string 28.

'Rod 95, is slidably' and non-rotatively, mounted in bars 66 and 69, and carries an arni96, on which are fixed stops 97, 98 and99, arranged to engage strings 31, and 29, the last numbered stops both engaging string 29 on different sides of aiii'et. Spring 100, normally retracts said'rod and its stops and the cable 19 is connected. with rod to actuate the seine: Said cable 19 is trained over pulleys 101'and 102.

. is connected with said rod 103, and is trained over pulleys 108 and 109. The spindles 8S and 8.6, are mounted on strips 70 and 71, and the spindle 94 is mounted on uprights 61 and 62, as clearly shown'in Fig. 2.- i

I will next refer to my improved picker mechanism by referring first to the pedal i means whereby the sameisoperated.

Pedals 112,113 and 114: are hingedly con nected at 115, 116 and 117', res 'ae'ctively, to an spectiv'ely, the central tread 119, being seinewhat less in height than the others,-1or the same reasons heretofore pointed out in connection with the toe treads of pedals 43 to 15.

'Afheel' block 121 is centrally recessed at 122,

and has laterally disposed projections 123 'l(wated strip 118, mounted on guide3., Said pedals ha e toe treads 118, 119 and 120, rei to hold the heel of the players shoe in a. sub- J stantially central position as the toe is shifted from one tread to the other. Picker operating cables 124, 125 and 126, have their lower ends securedto pedals 112, 113 and'lll l, re spectively, and extend upwardly therefrom for iLPlll'DOSe which will next be described.

It; will be clear that the picker operating pedals are not shiftable laterally of the frame, as is the case with the stop operating I will next refer to the picker mechanism,

proper, and the readers attention is directed more particularly to Figs. 5 to 9.

What I will terrn a picker guide board 127, is suitably secured to the frame of the machine and extend s 'vertically abreast of the parchment side of the instrument transversely of the strings and at one side of the bridge Cal 33. Said board 127 has a spring suspending ledge 128 from which springs 129, 130 and 131, are suspended. I have shown t-hree picker blocks 132, 133 and 134, the first acting on string 29, the second acting on strings 30 and 31, and the third acting on string 28. Although each block will be separately designated by reference numbers, only one need be described in detail as all are the same in structure and function except that block 133, picks two strings instead of one, which I consider a novel feature, and which I will later describe in detail.

Block 132 has a picker end 135 provided with a picker 136 which latter consists of a tapering elongated projection from the body of the block and which is adapted to engage a string and tension it, and then suddenly release the tensioned string to permit the latter to freely exercise or impart a tonal vibration, through the bridge 33, and parchment 34. Said block also has an actuated or cam end 137, which is offset downwardly from the picker end 135, as clearly shown in Fig. 7. This offset results. as far as the upper edge is concerned, in the formation of a guiding edge 138, which is adapted to coact with edge 139, of an opening 140, in board 127, through which, and in which the picker blockis floatingly shifted from one position to another. On the back of board 127, is a-cain block 141, with which a resilient cam rod 142, coacts. This cam rod 142 is rigidly mounted in the cam end of picker block or head 132, and has a straight section. as indicated by said numeral, an inclined section 143 and a board section 144. Projecting from opposite sides of the picker head 132, are cain shifting studs 145 which normally engage the rear side of board 127, as in Fig. 7, to prevent the picker head from approaching the parchment 34, to a too great extent. On the back of board 127 is secured a forked cam having its lower por tion 146 fixed to said board by means such as screws 147. The forked ends 148, of said cam extend on opposite sides of the cam end of the picker head 132 and are recessed to form releasing shoulders 149. will be seen from Fig. 5. the studs 145 are sufficiently short to pass through cam 1.46 when said studs desccnd below said shoulders 149. It will be noted from Fig. 7, that the forked ends 148, are curved outwardly from the rear face oi:

have suitable openings through which .nnhs 153 and 154 of the yoke slidably extend,

toe upper end of limb 153 being pivotally connected at and the lnnb 154 being pivotally eon-soc connected at 156, with the. picker head, the two points of pivotal connection being near the ends of said head. Said yoke will be made of sufiiciently bendable wire or the like to freely permit said head 132 to partake of such shifting and floating movements as its controlling auxiliaries will pcrniit, or afford.

I will next describe the operation of the picker head with reference to Figs. 7, 8 and 9.

First, it will be noted that the disposition of spring 129, is such that the picker head 132 is normally advanced toward the string 29, when. said head is in the position shown in Fig. 7. N ow as the pedal 114 is depressed, the head 132 will next assume the position shown in Fig. 8, exerting a maximum tension on string 29. As said head 132 approaches this position, the studs 145 will have descended below the tops of cams 143 and will be disposed against the inside faces of the latter, as a result of the shifting or deflecting section 143, riding outwardly on cam block 141. Edge 138, riding on the top 139, of slot 140, steadies the picker head in its outward movement. Now itwill be clear that the 29, is not only drawn downwardly, but also outwardly to the right of Fig. 7, while being tensioned by picker head 132,.and this sight outward movement of the head precedes the quick release of the string, which is a special feature of novelty of my invention. In other words, it is because of this outward movement of the head that am able to. obtain such an overlap-engagement of the picker end 136, initially. Thus, there is, in addition to a pull, a certain drag on the tensioned string, so that when it is released, its resulting sounding vibration is all the more effective, in addition to closely simulating the natural pick of the human hand. Further, this draw-away action of the picker 132, preceding release of the tensioned string, more positively assures a complete release of the tensioned string with the picker far enough away from the string so that the latter cannot be interfered with or dampened by contact with the picker during subsequent vibration of the released string.

As head is depressed slightly further than shown in Fig. 8. section 43 will gradually shift head 132 to the right until string 29 1s actually released, which condition iust read: to occur. in the position shown in Fig. 8. It will he noted that in the Fig. 8 position. studs 145 are in contact with earns 148 and that as studs 145 descend against said cams 143 they force the latter to the right, said cams148 being resilient for this purpose. Thus. when studs 145 reach a position suftcient y below shoulders 149. the studs 145 will s denlv be released and will move sl itly iurther to the right when so released, wh e the tensioned cams 148 will suddenly lip to the left, thereby insuring a disposition of thestuds onthe right hand or outer faces of cams 148, on the return or upward moves ment of studs 145,- asshown in Fig. 9. The

player wilhas hehecomes skilled in playing the instrument, release thepedaljust as soon as hehears the picked string sound. During this return'movement, the studs will ride up on theoutside or right hand faces ofycams 148-, under the pull of spring 129. The cam rod; 142, will hold the picker head in a re traeted position, until after section 143 has reached the positionwhere section 144 is in contact with the board 127. Just priorto this position of theparts, the studs 145, will have reached the tops of-cains 148 andat the picker head back tonormal.

Thus, it will be seen thatI obtain a quick returnof the picker headvto a normal posi- Q tion, as shown in 7', and I consider this a very important feature offmy' invention,

especiallyin playing chords rapidly.

Picker head 134, whichioperates string 28,

is in all respects the same in structure and operation as head 132', and is connected to cable 124.

. Picker 133, is the same as'itscompanion -pickersexceptthat it acts upon strings 30 and g 31', and. hence, the corresponding cams 157 are longer than cams'148,and thesl'ot 158, is

correspondingly lengthened. 7, Further,.. this picker head 133, does not partake-of anyiwithdrawing actionaway fuomrthe strings until s after it has act-ed uponrthe last orfllowest i string 31, whereupon, its withdrawal action is the same as heretofore explained incon nection with picker-132;; Likewise, its quick,

return is the same.

- Itv will. thus be seen thatI-have shown picker means'acting singly and plurally, on the strings to tonally vihrate'the-latter. U

Inorder to guide the player in shifting the string stopping mechanism to. the right POST ence to Fig. 3.

tions inorder to disposethestops-in proper relation to the frets, have shown the guide 3, graduated, as will be clearly seen byrefer- In the eventsthat. the instrue' ment being played has no frets, the skill of the player will be relied upon to shiftthe stopping mechanism to, the right position; i

As the mechanical operation of the stops will be clear from the foregoing description, it need only be statedthat the stop 81, engages all the strings simultaneously, and when applied at differentpoints along the neck face, the musical keyvof all the strings will be correspondingly changed, dependent uponthe position of said stop 81. This corresponds -with manual playing where the fore orindex finger is applied to stopall the strings, The remaining stops change the key of the chords picked, the same as though the human fingers were applied, the key being changed in. accordance with the longitudinal position along the stringswhere thestops are applied. r

This is primarilya chordpla yer and is not intended primarily toplay an air ormelody, asthe stops are not capable of as'much flexibility and variation of operation as thefingers of the humanhand. However, the device is equal to the human hand as a' chord player, and the device of my invention is pri marily designed forsupporting work, not so niuchfor solo work. Thus, a performer can utilize this" devicei,operating the same with his feet, to play supporting chords, in sup- 1 will next describe my improved. sound damp'ener,

a Referring toFi'gs. land 1 0,160 designates the usual body bar, fixed in the body 15; Pivotedliat 161,0nsaid bar is a: forked dampener 162, which straddlesthe har116(),the forked ends 163 being'a-dapted for engagement with the parchment 34, preferably atthe right of the bridge 33, with respect toFig. 1'. Said dampener has an operating end 164 which is connected by alink 165 to the upperend ofa knee operated lever'166', which ispivoted at 166-, to a part of" the frame; Said knee lever has a projection 167, on its lower end that may be engaged by the knee of the right leg of' the operator I and shifted in the direction of -thearrow shown in Fig; 1,-to cause the dampenerto engage the parchment and mally to maintainthe d'ampener free from engagement with the parchment.

lt is believed" that my invention will be fully undeis-toodfromthe foregoing description and-while I have herein shown and dc scribed oneembodiment of my invention, Ido not wish to be limited thereto except forsuch limitations as the claims "may import;

I claim I 1. In a means for playing a stringed instrument-having a soi'inding bod'y and a neck, a frame for holding the instrument, pedal operated'mechanism on said frame for pluck 'ing the strings abreast of the sounding'body, and pedal"operated mechanism for pressing and stopping the strings along the neck of the instrument, said last named mechanism being slidaloly mounted on said frame for movement to different ments neck.

2. In a stringed instrument player, a float ing picker head normally in a picking posipo'sitions along the instrution, pedal means imparting movement of portof a solo instrument played by his hands.

dampen the sound; Aspringl68, serves norhead for movement'into a picking position.

3. In av stringed instrument player, a picker guide board having a slottherein, a. picker head floatingly slidable in said slot into and out of picking positions, means for actuating said head to pick a string, means for restoring said head to a normal position, and instrumentalities acting on said head to quickly withdraw the latter from a picked string and retain said head free therefrom andfinally restoring said head to a normal position.

i. In a stringed instrument player, a picker board having a slot therein and a cam block adjacent said slot, a picker head floatingly slidable in said slot, means torymoving said picker head throughout a picking cycle, and said head havinga cam rod engaging said block to withdraw said head from engagement with the string during thepicking stroke of said head.

In av stringed instrument player, a picker board having a slot, a picker head tloatingly slidable in said slot throughout its picking and return movements, said head having studs engaging said board to limit movement of said head toward the string to be picked, a forked retaining cam spanning said head, and means for retracting said head on the picking stroke thereoI and disposing said studs in tracking engagement with said forked cam on the return stroke of said head to hold said head away from the string until said head reaches a predetermined position with respect to said string, and means freeing said studs from said forked cam and advancing said head into a picking position with re; spect to the string.

6. In a picking means for a stringed in strulnent player, a picker board having a slot therein, a picker head floatingly slidable in said slot and having a picker end projecting from the string side of said board and a cam end projecting from the cam side of said board, means for imparting picking movement to said head including a yoke hav ing one limb thereof pivoted to the picker end of said head and another limb pivoted to the cam end of said head for moving said head sul'istantially transversely to its length, and instrumentalities for imparting movement of said head substantially in the direction of the length of the latter during actuation of said head by said means.

7 In a picking means for a stringed instrument player, picker head, means moving said head into picking relation with a Pllb rality of strings, means holding said head ton string picking path during picking actuation 0t said head, means ror restoring said head to a starting position, and means tor maintainin said head free from said strings anism for controlling said head during picl-' ing movement thereof. a

9. In a stringed instrument player, a tloating picker head, means for actuating aid head to pick a plurality of strings, means for returnil'ig head to a normal position, and mechanism 101' controlling said head during its picking and return movements.

10. In a stringed instrument player, stopping mechanism adjustable to diil'erent longitudinal positions along theneck of the instrument and provided with reciprocable stop rods having stops, and means carried by said mechanism for selectively actuating said rods to engage the stops thereof against the strings of the instrument.

11. In a stringed instrument player, a frame for holding the body and neck of the instrument, stop mechanism including a stop arm extending across and longitudinally abreast of a plurality of strings oi the instrument, and arm having a plurality of stops for simultaneously engaging a plurality of different strings at different longitudinal positions therealong.

12. In a stringed instrument player, a frame for holding the body and neck of the instrument, stop mechanism including stops for engagement with one or more strings along the neck of the instrument, toe actuated pedals for operating said stops, an elongated stop for engagelnent with all the strings to chan e the playing key, and a heel operated lever for actuating said elongated stop. i

In testimony that I claim the tore-going as my own, I hereby aiiix my signature.

JOEL B. WOLFE.

on Act 

